FEATURES

Inspection

3D integration and packaging has challenged failure analysis (FA) techniques and workflows due to the high complexity of multichip architectures, the large variety of materials, and small form factors in highly miniaturized devices.

Lithography

There are big changes on the horizon for semiconductor mask manufacturing, including the imminent first production use of multi-beam mask writers, and the preparation of all phases of semiconductor manufacturing for the introduction of extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lithography within the next few years.

Deposition

As the world of advanced manufacturing enters the sub-nanometer scale era, it is clear that ALD, MLD and SAM represent viable options for delivering the required few-atoms-thick layers required with uniformity, conformality, and purity.

Business

Each year, Solid State Technology turns to industry leaders to hear viewpoints on the technological and economic outlook for the upcoming year. Read through these expert opinions on what to expect in 2018.

The semiconductor industry has been there before, with large increases in investments followed by dramatic downturns. While the most dramatic downturns, 2001 and 2009, were due to, in a large part, acro-economic factors, the industry has typically observed one to two years of increased investment spending followed by a down period. This time around, the industry will achieve a “WOW” with three consecutive years of fab investment growth, a pattern not observed since the mid-1990s.